Rating: R, very R!

Focus: There Are No Losers In This Game

Tezuka lost.

What was always believed to be impossible had occurred at last. After persisting beyond the point of normal human threshold and far beyond anyone's expectations, Tezuka still lost to Atobe by just two simple points. His arm had finally given out, resulting in the shot that cost him the match. Time came to a stop for the whole crowd, including Echizen; everybody was frozen in shock and disbelief. For a split second, they all thought the ball would go over; there was almost no doubt in anyone's mind that it wouldn't. Their breaths stopped the second the ball struck the net with a resounding smack as their minds failed to comprehend what just happened. Even Atobe was caught off guard; he stared blindly at the yellow ball running slowly across the other side of the court as he remained on the ground, on all fours.

Tezuka let out a long sigh that was a mixture of relief, exhaustion, and resignation while he stood in place with his face averted to the sky in supplication. It was finally over.

The referee was the first to snap out of the self-imposed trance and break the spell by calling out the final score of the match.

"Game Hyotei, 7 games to 6!"

As one, the crowd instantly broke free of their momentary paralysis to jump to their feet and erupt in deafening cheers, shrieking the name of both the victor and defeated. Students of Seigaku roared the loudest all in honor of their young captain. Despite the loss, they all knew that they had just witnessed a monumental event, a testament to the boundless possibilities of human will and endurance. This was a match that even those who were not die-hard tennis fans would ever forget, and in the years to come, whenever they tried to recount today's events to others, their voices would always fill with a sense of awe and reverence for the captain of the tennis team.

For those who were actually a part of the Seigaku tennis team, their love and respect for their fierce captain only multiplied.

For Echizen, the image of Tezuka, standing straight and proud on the court, was burned into his mind. In the midst of all the uproar, the only thought that went through his mind was: He's so awesome. That sole phrase chorused repetitiously within his head, accompanied by the increasingly rapid beating of his heart and the shortness of his breath. In the far recesses of his consciousness, where logic still ruled, he recognized that this reaction was very uncharacteristic of him. He is the son of the inarguably best tennis player in the whole of Japan; not to mention, during his time in America, his training had included playing against some of the top tennis players of his generation. In all his years in the tennis world, he had never felt awe toward anyone, only the hunger and determination to surpass. Therefore, it practically defied reason that he would feel this undeniable sense of intense veneration for Tezuka all of a sudden. To further push the boundaries of logic, he also felt a surge of another emotion, equally foreign, within him. It took him a few minutes to identify what it was, since he had only read about it or heard it mentioned in the abstract. As he stood there in the bleachers, amongst the rapturous and rowdy crowd, he realized that in addition to awe, what he was also feeling was sheer, unadulterated lust for Tezuka.

The mere acknowledgement of the second emotion was enough to trigger a huge bolt of breath-stopping heat to course down his body to center in his nether regions. He felt a bit weak in the knees in its wake.

Damn. Echizen thought as he drank in the sight of Tezuka's lean form hungrily. I still have a game to play.

He watched as Tezuka approached the net to congratulate Atobe, who then grabbed his hand to raise it in shared victory as way of acknowledging the Seigaku captain. When Tezuka finally turned away to head back to the bench, the senior's eyes immediately seeked those of Echizen's, causing another sharp bolt to course through the freshman. Idiot, Ryoma mentally cursed, the epithet partially directed at his own unruly biological reaction and at Tezuka, the cause of it. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started to head down toward the court, meeting up with the senior at the end of the bleachers.

"Echizen."

Even his voice sounds good. Better than usual. Echizen swallowed hard, wincing at the sudden dryness of his mouth.

The crowd, who had begun whispering about what would happen next since the tournament was now at a tie, immediately fell into a hush as Echizen took his racket out of his bag and headed down to the court. He listened idly as the referee announced the commencement of the sub games to determine the final outcome of the tournament.

Ryuzaki and the other Regulars murmured their words of encouragement to the young tennis prodigy, all of which he acknowledged with a curt nod. Tezuka took his place as the bench coach, and when Echizen finally faced him, the young captain raised his head to gaze at him steadily.

"Do you still remember what I told you under the overpass two months ago?"

"Yes," the other boy answered quickly. He was barely paying attention, absorbed as he was seeing Tezuka up-close. He licked his lips unconsciously at the sight of the senior's long and smooth limbs, which were currently glistening with sweat. He was suddenly filled with the memory of how Tezuka's skin felt and tasted, and to dispel these unbidden thoughts, he forced himself to look away and over at the opponent he was soon to play against. He couldn't recall the guy's name at all, it was either Hitoshi or Hiyoshi or neither. Either way, he would finish him quickly.

Out loud, Echizen stated, "This won't take long."

"You probably shouldn't underestimate him. It's rumored that he might be the next Hyotei captain," Tezuka warned.

Echizen turned his attention back to the senior. The intensity of his gaze caught Tezuka off guard, making his breath catch a little as his eyes widened in surprise. "Echizen," Tezuka said in an almost breathless voice, momentarily forgetting their current surroundings and circumstances.

But Echizen only smirked in response and then pulled the tip of his cap down before wordlessly turning away and heading over to take his place on the court. In his wake, Tezuka could only blink in confusion. The young captain could still feel the heat that had rushed up to his cheeks in reaction to the look the freshman had given him. As he watched Echizen toss the ball up in the air to begin his serve, he wondered with a sense of bewilderment, What was that all about?

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Later on, after everyone had finished their rounds of congratulations to the winning Seigaku team and the team itself was all packed up and ready to leave, Coach Ryuzaki and his fellow teammates all urged Tezuka to visit the hospital so he could get his arm thoroughly examined. Impatient to get the captain alone, Echizen loudly offered to take him there. Strangely enough, hardly anyone argued against his offer except for Horio, who thought they should all go with Tezuka as a team. Fortunately for him, no one else paid any attention to Horio; in fact, the Regulars were actually insistent about Echizen taking Tezuka. If he had been in a less distracted state of mind, he would probably have been suspicious at his teammates' behavior, but as it was, Echizen decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially when earlier he had a moment of alarm when someone had suggested that they head over to Kawamura's dad's sushi place to celebrate. Thankfully, that suggestion was quickly shot down by the majority, out of respect for the injured members of their team. They unanimously decided to postpone their celebrations until next weekend instead.

Echizen remained silent for the better part of their trip to the hospital, barely responding to Tezuka's attempts at conversation. He was too busy concentrating on trying not to think about how close the other boy was beside him, and how easy it would be to just reach out and slip his hand underneath Tezuka's shirt. He had to cross his arms against his chest to stop himself from giving in to the urge.

"Echizen?"

It took him a while to realize that Tezuka was calling him and had been for quite some time. He was disturbed at the path his thoughts were taking and shook his head firmly to clear them away. What the heck was the matter with him? He wasn't some vapid teenage girl mooning over her boyfriend. It was just a stupid biological reaction. A stupid, annoying reaction that he had no control over whatsoever. With a dark scowl, he grumbled, "Hurry up," at the senior as he quickened his pace.

Taken aback by the obvious annoyance in the other boy's voice and mistakenly assuming that it stemmed from disappointment, Tezuka frowned and followed him quietly. It was a baseless assumption, of course, born from his own overwhelming concern about the image he presented to the freshman. He knew that Echizen didn't see him as infallible; if anything, the freshman probably believed everyone had the capacity to fail. Therefore, his disappointment must be due to the timing of his failure. Perhaps he had misjudged how much the other boy wanted him to win the match, how important it was to Echizen that he remained undefeated always. After all, their personal relationship notwithstanding, he was still Echizen's captain, and that title brought with it the responsibilities of being a role model as well. While his own aim was to show the younger boy—and everyone else on the team for that matter—that perseverance despite almost insurmountable hardship was just as valuable as winning, perhaps Echizen had not understood his purpose. How ironic would it be that the one person whom he wanted to convey that message to was the only person who ended up not receiving it. Judging from the glowing reception he received from the other team members at the end of the match, he knew that they at least understood him; so how had he failed in reaching Echizen?

But what if something else entirely that was upsetting the freshman? After all, he was the one who volunteered to take him to the hospital, so perhaps his foul disposition had nothing to do with him after all. Although, being the person who ultimately propelled the team past the Prefecturals and into the Regionals, there really should be no reason for Echizen to be upset. He had received his fair share of accolades after the match, in fact, quite a few of them. Was he still upset that he was only the reserve player? Tezuka had guessed what Echizen's reaction would be when he decided on that—and it was his decision, which he conveyed to Ryuzaki-sensei as a strong suggestion—but at the time, he was certain his decision was the right one. Considering the outcome, he was glad he stuck to it, despite some protest from even the coach. And, logically speaking, Echizen should also be pleased with the outcome.

So that brings him back to square one, why was Echizen so grumpy?

Tezuka looked down at the other boy, whose eyes remained glued to the street. He wished he could be more in tuned to what the freshman was actually thinking. He knew his own mind was just running around in helpless circles at this point. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they had already gotten as physically close as two people could possibly get, he still hadn't gotten over his long established habit of not prying into other people's business, so he was unable to come straight out to ask Echizen what was wrong. Amazingly enough, his comfort level with the freshman was only at the point where he felt free to talk and answer questions about himself, but not the other way around. He would always find himself on the verge of scaling that wall, but never fully succeeding. He had yet to realize that by now, the boundaries of social etiquette should have already become non-existent between them.

Fortunately for both of them, since the beginning, Echizen never had such qualms.

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Their visit to the hospital took close to an hour. The doctor, who also happened to be Oishi's uncle, was quite upset to see that Tezuka had actually managed to worsen his condition after having just recovered from his old injury. Even though there were no bone fractures as he had initially feared, X-rays of the senior's arm did show that the joints and muscles were severely swollen, from wrist to shoulder. The doctor was surprised that the boy was even able to play for as long as he did, considering the numbing pain must have set in by the first hour. To reduce the swelling, the doctor had to administer a strong Cortisone shot along with prescriptions for painkillers. He also gave Tezuka names of several physical therapists who specialized in dealing with sports-related injuries, demanding that he start the therapy sessions as soon as possible.

"You're lucky there weren't any bone fractures or torn muscles, Tezuka-kun, but this is bad enough. Mataku, didn't you hear what I told you at all last time? Even though you recovered completely, you were still supposed to take it easy. Now you definitely won't be able to play tennis for quite some time. In fact, if you want a future in tennis at all, Tezuka-kun, you have to keep your arm decommissioned for at least a few months if not more," the doctor warned before they left.

Though the doctor's prognosis did trouble him, after spending what seemed like an eternity at the hospital, Echizen decided that sympathy and concern would have to come later; there were more immediate needs to be taken care of right now. As soon as they left the building, he decided that they were going to take the train to Tezuka's house.

Tezuka was surprised. "The train? Don't you want to stop by somewhere to eat first?"

The other boy responded instantly with, "No. I want to get back to your place right now. We took long enough at the hospital."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Never mind that, let's just go."

"Echizen…."

Seeing that the senior remained rooted to the spot, Ryoma sighed loudly and stopped to turn and face him. "Kuni-chan, let's just get there, okay?" he said in a resigned voice, and then added in a more husky tone, "I promise you won't regret it."

The intense look from before returned; this time, Tezuka felt heat rush through his entire body in response, instead of just his cheeks. Feeling a little off-balanced by the unexpected reaction, he nodded dumbly and followed the freshman without another word.

The train ride was a decidedly unpleasant experience for both of them. Because it was a Sunday, every compartment was crowded with people; all the seats were taken so the two boys had to stand. They stayed by the sliding doors, pressed against each other. Not wanting Tezuka to know the effect his proximity was having on him, Echizen stood with his back to the other while hiding the front of his body with his bag. Little did he know that the senior was struggling from the same problem, since the memory of the heated gaze Echizen had directed at him was still fresh in his mind. He also stood with his back to the younger boy, while his frontside was pressed against the door itself. Thankfully, it was a rather short trip, only a few stops. As soon as the doors of the train compartment slid open, the two of them quickly jumped out onto the platform, grateful for the freedom of space.

Echizen then hurried Tezuka along the short distance from the train station to his house. Dissatisfied with the senior's speed, the younger boy actually grabbed hold of Tezuka's hand to pull him the rest of the way. Startled and slightly embarrassed by this sudden public gesture, the young captain cleared his throat and muttered, "Echizen, I can walk on my own."

Showing no indication that he heard him, Echizen asked instead, "Hey, are your grandparents at home?"

"Uh, no. They're still at the store; otherwise, they would've come to watch the game. I need to call them…."

"Are they coming home soon?"

"Actually, they're going out to dinner with some friends from the senior center tonight, so they probably won't be back until later. Why?"

Without slowing down, Echizen turned to look at Tezuka, a wide grin stretched across his face. Combined with the odd gleam in his eyes, he looked rather devilish. "Perfect," he responded in English.

As soon as they went through the front door, Echizen was on him. The senior barely had the chance to lock the door before the younger boy grabbed him by the shirt to pull him down for a passionate kiss. Echizen's hands had already worked most of the buttons of his shirt off by the time Tezuka regained his senses enough to realize that they were still standing in the garden. He took hold of the freshman's hands to stop their busy activity and pulled away, though not without great reluctance.

"What are you doing?" the young captain asked breathlessly.

"Idiot, what does it look like?"

"We're right by the front door."

"Then let's go inside." Echizen held him by the sleeve and tugged him toward the house. Once they were inside, he tried to resume the kiss, but was once again stopped by the other boy, who said, "I have to call my grandparents."

Though impatient, Echizen figured that it would probably be better to get that out of the way first so he released the senior and took a step back. "Hurry up and call them."

"We left our bags by the front; do you want to go get them while I call, otherwise it'll look strange when they come home."

"Whatever." The freshman nevertheless turned to go pick up the bags they had dropped. When he returned, he handed Tezuka his bags and waited as the older boy briefly conversed with his grandparents, shifting in place restlessly the whole time. As soon as he hung up, Echizen grabbed his hand again to lead him upstairs.

Once they reached Tezuka's bedroom, the freshman finally relinquished his grip to dump his bags haphazardly on the floor. Tezuka was just turning around after closing and locking the door and barely had time to unload his own bags before Echizen pulled him over to the bed and shoved him rather forcefully onto it. The freshman then straddled his hips and in one motion, pulled off his glasses and swooped down to capture his lips in a hard kiss. Echizen pressed himself flush against Tezuka from shoulder to legs while he attacked the other boy's lips mercilessly, drawing whimpers and soft groans from his victim. At one point, while chewing roughly on the senior's bottom lip, he almost managed to break the skin. While one of his hands still held Tezuka's glasses in a close-to-crushing grip, the other was grabbing fistfuls of Tezuka's hair to tug his head into a better angle to access his mouth. Swept up in the heat of the moment, the senior hardly noticed the pain.

When Ryoma finally wrenched away, they were panting. Both of their lips were slightly bruised. In the next instant, the freshman started making his way down Tezuka's neck and chest, tasting the skin there with kisses and licks, stopping only to worry Tezuka's nipples until the other boy was arching in open-mouthed ecstasy. Somewhere at the far back of his mind, he was actually quite astonished at the younger boy's aggressiveness, but luckily, he finally had enough sense to just accept the blessed circumstances and hold off the questions until later.

Needing a short break to regain his breath, the freshman pulled away momentarily to deposit Tezuka's now slightly bent glasses on the bedside table and to take off his clothes. Echizen was already fully naked by the time Tezuka started to remove his lower garments, so the younger boy resumed his position with a leg on each side of his body to continue assaulting his mouth.

It wasn't until a long, long while later that Tezuka finally managed to mutter between kisses the word, "drawer". He had to repeat the word several times since Echizen remained preoccupied.

"Hmmm?" Echizen mumbled, while sucking on the patch of skin on Tezuka's shoulder he had been nuzzling. He realized faintly that he would probably cause a mark to appear again, but instead of being concerned, he only moved to another patch of skin and repeated the action. He then started rocking against Tezuka, causing the other boy to gasp loudly in surprise.

"Echizen, Ryoma, stop, stop," Tezuka pleaded through clenched teeth. He was so close. Too close.

"What?" the freshman demanded, displeased at the interruption.

Tezuka started motioning in the direction of his bedside table. "Get the…in the drawer." He couldn't get it himself since the younger boy was still sitting on top of him.

It took a beat for Echizen's lust-muddled brain to figure out what the other boy was talking about. With a small huff of breath, he moved off of Tezuka to remove the jar of petroleum jelly from inside the drawer of the bedside table. The senior took the opportunity to quickly pull the remainder of his clothing and shift into position on the bed. However, just as he got on his knees and was about to bend forward, Echizen stopped him by placing a hand on his hip.

Turning his head, Tezuka raised one eyebrow inquisitively. "What is it?"

Looking intently at the senior, Echizen hesitated for a second before asking, "Want to try it the other way this time?"

Tezuka blinked, not quite comprehending what he meant. "What?"

"We could try it the other way. You could be…the lead. On top."

When Tezuka still didn't respond, Echizen leaned in and began licking and nipping playfully on his arm and shoulder. "How about it, Kuni-chan? Want to try it?"

Despite the lack of response, the truth was, Tezuka had been thinking about it since their second time together: how it would feel to be the one "on top". Not that he didn't derive pleasure from being the one on the receiving end—in fact, he derived a lot of pleasure from it—but basic curiosity made him wonder how Echizen would feel if their roles were reversed. Or rather, more accurately, how he would feel to be in Echizen's position. He had been wondering how he could propose such a notion to the younger boy, but he could never find the right time or proper way to bring up such a delicate subject. Even though he was a bit astonished, he was actually glad that Echizen had solved his dilemma for him. Therefore, before the other boy needed to repeat the question a third time, he answered with a firm, "Yes. I would like to try it the other way."

With a slight smirk, Echizen delved in to plant a kiss on his lips. "Yes. Good." He kissed him again, and then paused and sat back on his hunches with a pensive expression. "But how are we going to do this?"

Confused, Tezuka crinkled the bridge of his nose. "How? What do you mean?" Wouldn't they just do it the same way as they've been doing it, except with their positions reversed?

"I don't want you to accidentally put pressure on your arm. It might aggravate your condition."

"I really don't feel any pain," Tezuka replied earnestly.

Chuckling in response, Echizen placed both hands on the senior's chest and pressed him back. "Just the same. There are other ways to do this. Here, sit against the wall. And I'll just…." He kneeled astride Tezuka's lap, making sure to concentrate most of his weight on his own knees. "See? This way we can do it and you won't have to use your arm."

Tezuka smiled with gratitude, touched by the other boy's consideration even during such a situation. Echizen then handed the canister of jelly to him and said, "Now prepare me."

With great care and good degree of anxiety, Tezuka did as told. Since the memories of their first time was permanently etched into his mind, he recalled quite clearly the initial discomfort involved, so he made sure to more than adequately prepare the younger boy.

Despite so, Echizen couldn't help wincing at the alien sensation of the older boy's fingers. Not wanting to alarm Tezuka, he pressed his face against the groove of the senior's neck and shoulder to hide his expression. It wasn't quite painful since Tezuka had practically over-coated his digits with the jelly, but the intrusion still felt extremely weird. It took a long while before he began to grow somewhat accustomed to the feeling. Eventually, he even became slightly impatient as Tezuka continued his ministrations. "It's good, Kuni-chan. That's enough," Echizen informed him.

"It's going to hurt," Tezuka explained, a tinge of worry coloring his voice.

"I know. But if you could deal with it, so can I."

Even though his own body was taut with desire, Tezuka still hesitated to proceed.

"Anyway," Echizen continued, "It felt good eventually, didn't it? You always looked like you really enjoy it."

"I do," was the instant reply.

"Well then, just make sure I'll eventually enjoy it too. I trust you, buchou."

A flood of peculiar warmth that was different from lust washed over Tezuka, and on an impulse, he captured the freshman's lips in a long involved kiss. Preparations complete, he finally began to enter the other boy in a painstakingly slow fashion.

At the first breach of entry, Echizen's breath caught. He closed his eyes tightly shut as his lips pulled back in a grimace. He knew it was going to hurt at first. He knew it even without Tezuka reminding him. He had read enough about it, after all. Just the same, when faced with the real thing, he was still utterly caught off guard. He just didn't expect it to be so unbelievably uncomfortable. And the fact that Tezuka was proceeding at a snail's pace did not help either, even though he knew that was done for his benefit. On the contrary, the slowness of the senior's movements was somehow emphasizing the level of discomfort. Echizen began breathing in open-mouthed gasps as sweat began to break out all over his body.

Feeling the frantic puffs of air on the side of his neck and the tenseness of the younger boy's body, Tezuka stopped abruptly in concern. "Echizen, are you okay? Does it hurt? Am I going too fast?" the senior inquired worriedly. In truth, the degree of control he was exerting over his own baser instincts to just plunge ahead was actually making him break out in a cold sweat.

Echizen shook his head, even though his eyes were still squeezed shut. "Just…give me…minute…," he answered in halting breaths. Once his breathing somewhat stabilized, Echizen began moving himself, first up a little and then down, each time going further and further until finally, after what seemed like an eternity for both of them, he was seated all the way. Lifting his head to meet the older boy's eyes, he flashed him a reassuring smile. "You just…take some getting use to."

Tezuka nodded in understanding and placing his hand on the back of Echizen's head, pulled him in for another passionate kiss. When they broke away, their excitement was once again rekindled. The freshman was once again smirking as he whispered huskily, "Make me enjoy it, Kuni-chan."

Those words served as a release for Tezuka, allowing him to let go of his reserve. Resting his hands on either side of Echizen's hips, he began to move, steadily picking up speed.

At first the sensation still felt rather odd to the freshman, his brow furrowing in reaction, but as he got more use to it, it soon enough gave way to a faintly pleasing feeling that was becoming more pleasurable by the second. When Tezuka's right hand closed around him, Echizen whimpered and nodded eagerly in approval. His hands, which until now had been gripping the bed sheets on either side of Tezuka, snaked up and around to encircle Tezuka's back. He was beginning to feel better. Much, much better.

It occurred to him then that there was still something missing: a nagging feeling at the back of his mind was telling him that Tezuka needed to do something else. But what? When Echizen pinpointed what it was, he pressed his forehead against the older boy's to catch his attention. "Tez- Tezuka," his brain was having trouble focusing, "Can you…move…tilt up…tilt…tilt…?"

"What're you saying?" the older boy asked in a slightly desperate tone. His mind was currently even less capable of comprehending words.

"Don't slow down! Just…." Exasperated, the younger boy gave up the attempt to explain and instead started shifting around on his own, trying to make Tezuka hit that spot he was seeking.

Tezuka clenched his teeth tightly; Echizen's undulations were pushing him closer and closer to the edge, and he didn't want things to end this soon. "Ech—you have to…stop. Stop doing that."

Ignoring him, the other boy commanded instead, "Keep going, keep going, don't stop." When one of Tezuka's thrust finally did hit home, Echizen's eyes flew open as he made a noise that was a cross between a loud gasp and a whimper. His vision flooded with a bright whiteness as if a small explosion just went off. "There," he groaned. "There. Right there. Keep it, Tez…keep it there."

As Tezuka continued to stroke against the gland in earnest, Echizen started to make all sorts of interesting and rather adorable noises, which only served to excite the older boy more, causing him to move even faster. As the freshman's cries increased in volume, Tezuka shushed him gently out of habit, forgetting that his grandparents were still not home. He buried his face against the softness of the younger boy's hair to smother his own cries.

As they strove closer and closer to their mutual climax, their lips reconnected once again in sloppy, fervent kisses. This time, Echizen did succeed in breaking skin as he bit down on Tezuka's lower lip in passion. That only increased Tezuka's fervor. He got up on his knees and shifted his left hand from Echizen's hip down to his thigh to draw it further apart, giving him better access. In response, Echizen unfurled his arms from around Tezuka's back and leaned backwards, supporting his own weight with his hands behind him on the bed. He pressed his feet against the wall, using it for leverage.

Their lovemaking became more and more frenzied until finally, incapable of holding back any longer, Tezuka came, shouting harshly. His grip tightened on Echizen's member as his other hand dug into the freshman's thigh, his nails creating deep indentations on the soft flesh there. It was enough to trigger the other boy's orgasm. Caught up in the mind-blowing pleasure, Tezuka rode out his own climax to the end and even beyond without ever slowing down, prolonging the intense sensations, to the point where Echizen eventually told him to stop in almost pleading whimpers. The excruciating pleasure was becoming too much to bear.

Apologizing, Tezuka immediately slowed his thrusts to a halt and bent down to rain kisses all over the younger boy's face. Thoroughly spent, the senior collapsed bonelessly against Echizen, who brought his legs up to wrap them loosely across the senior's back, ankles crossing.

For a long time more, they remained joined together, pressed against one another in the middle of the bed, listening to each other breathe. Eventually, concerned with Echizen's comfort since his head was practically hanging off the edge of the bed, Tezuka carefully extricated himself. The freshman grunted slightly at their separation, as it did burn a little. They rearranged themselves so that they could lay side by side underneath the covers, facing each other. Tezuka began stroking the sweat-moistened bangs from Echizen's forehead as he asked, "Are you okay?"

Lips stretching in a satiated smile, the other boy replied, "Now I am."

Tezuka was pleased. He felt extremely good himself; a pleasant mixture of gratitude, warmth, and satisfaction was bubbling inside of him. Not for the first time he wished he had the adequate words to convey to Echizen how he felt about the fact that they got to share these wonderful experiences together. He had never been at loss for meaningful words at crucial moments, yet somehow, he suddenly acquired this inability of expressing himself in his private life. He would've never guessed that he would end up developing such a significant shortcoming. On some level, he knew it was pretty illogical that he would still feel so tongue-tied around Echizen, but the sad fact remained. It was a hurdle he wished to overcome, if only he knew how.

Wrapped up in his ruminations, he jumped slightly when Echizen suddenly caught his hand. "My mom use to do that when I would get sick," the freshman explained lazily. He brought Tezuka's hand down against the warmth of his own abdomen, holding it there. "It feels kinda weird when you do that."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Hey, how's your arm? Does it hurt?"

Tezuka shook his head. "I can barely feel it, actually. The shot the doctor gave me was quite strong. There's just this pressure there, but no pain. But are you sure you're alright? I hope I wasn't too…rough?"

Echizen scoffed at that. "I don't think you could be even if you tried."

"I'm being serious."

The freshman lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Whatever. I'd say it was well worth the pain."

Tezuka smiled and then, in a soft voice, said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me…lead."

"Oh. That." Echizen's lips stretched in a complacent grin. "I told you you wouldn't regret it."

Tezuka thought about it for a moment and then his eyes widened in realization. "So that's why you were in a hurry?"

Echizen snorted. "Why else would I be in such a hurry to get back here? I'm amazed you couldn't even guess. You can be pretty dense sometimes, buchou."

Pursing his lips in displeasure, Tezuka replied, "How could I have known? You were acting so strange, I just thought you were upset at me."

"Eh? About what?"

"The Hyotei match."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I was annoyed at first. I didn't think you'd put me as the reserve player, but I got over it. Winning helped."

"No, I mean…I thought you were upset because I lost to Atobe."

"Huh?" Echizen gave him a funny look. "Oh yeah, you did, didn't you? I almost forgot about that. But why would I be mad about that? We still won the finals."

"You weren't disappointed that I lost?"

"Mmm. I guess I was, now that you mention it. I mean, everyone was disappointed; it was such a close game. If it weren't for your elbow, you would've won." Without waiting for a response, Echizen went on to say, "Anyway, it doesn't matter. You were still very good."

"Th-thank you," he answered dubiously. He hadn't expected this from the freshman.

"I wished I was the one playing against you. I know the monkey king's at National level, but ultimately, he was lucky that you had a weakness to exploit. He was good, but you were better."

Tezuka was truly flattered by that, as he realized that this was the first time Ryoma had ever openly praised him, and in such a blatant manner too. Instead of acknowledging the compliment, however, he said, "You probably shouldn't underestimate Atobe's abilities. Even before my handicap developed, we were equals in terms of skills. Not to mention, his level of endurance is also impressive. Even if my arm hadn't given out, I can't say for sure that I would've won."

"Hmmph, I don't know about that. He's one annoying bastard though. And an egomaniac on top of that, with his 'Ore-sama' this and 'Ore-sama' that. What a nuisance."

"He is a bit on the showy side, but that's probably because of his confidence in his abilities."

Echizen grunted, waving a hand dismissively. "People who are truly confident in their abilities wouldn't need to show off like that."

Images of the many occasions when the freshman smugly challenged his upperclassman teammates surfaced in Tezuka's mind. He thought it best to not mention those instances, however, knowing that his companion would probably not appreciate it.

"Anyway, what made you think I was mad at you in the first place? How'd you even come to that conclusion?" The last question was partially smothered by a yawn.

"You looked upset afterwards. When we were walking to the hospital, you acted like you didn't want to talk to me."

"That. No, I just wanted to come back so we could have sex."

"I still don't understand. What…what brought it on? This sudden desire?"

"I don't know. I was just…watching you play and then the match was over and suddenly I just wanted to do it very bad. It was very annoying."

"Oh." Now everything made sense: the heated gaze, the grumpiness, the rush. Remembering the disgruntled look Echizen had on his face, the senior couldn't help breaking out in a smile. In light of what he was just told, it was a rather endearing expression. His smile turned into a huge grin when he then remembered how the boy practically attacked him as soon as they got here.

"What's that stupid grin for?" Echizen demanded irritably.

Tezuka shook his head. "Nothing." The chuckle that escaped him in the next second contradicted the innocence of his answer. The resulting glare the younger boy directed at him only served to deepen his laughter more.

With a sound of disgust, Echizen pushed the older boy away and turned onto his back. Rolling his eyes in disdain, he crossed his arms against his chest and grumbled, "You're so immature, Tezuka-buchou."

It took some effort, but Tezuka was finally able to get his mirth under control. He placed a placating hand on the other boy's arm and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. You just…surprised me, that's all. Would it help if I said I'm flattered?"

"Hmmph. Maybe you shouldn't be. Now that I think about it, you weren't the only person on the court; I could've easily been reacting to the monkey king, you know." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Echizen shivered and shook his head. "On second thought, never mind. I definitely was not."

"Why do you find him so repulsive?" Tezuka pointed out, an amused smile playing about his lips.

"It's not that he's physically repulsive, there's just something about him that bugs me. Makes me want to punch him every time I see him."

"That's a bit extreme. He seems to have a lot of fans though."

"Yeah, people are strange."

Tezuka chuckled. "Atobe's not a bad guy. From what I've heard, he's actually a good captain. He has to be in order to manage such a strong team."

"Mada mada dane." A brief pause. "Na, is that why you decided to risk your arm to play him? Because it was a captain to captain kind of thing? I mean, you could've easily just let me play him. Actually, I was surprised the old lady let you go through with it. Why'd you do it? Especially when we still have some ways to go before the Nationals?"

Taking a deep, gathering breath, the young captain turned to stare at the ceiling pensively. How should I answer him? he wondered. Echizen was right, he had been taking a risk, quite a big one at that. He knew it, and so did Ryuzaki-sensei when they were discussing the line-up. That was part of the reason why she argued against his choice of putting Echizen on reserve. Logically speaking, it would have been a far safer bet to pitch Echizen against the Hyotei captain since, even if Hiyoshi was a strong player, he was still no match against Tezuka. As the captain of Seigaku, however, he couldn't afford to restrict his thoughts to just the moment, to just this one game. He had to consider the future as well. He knew that Atobe would find out about his freshly healed elbow injury, and he also knew, based on the other senior's reputation, that Atobe would be fully prepared to take advantage of his handicap. Therefore, Tezuka decided early on in the game that he would push himself into a corner before allowing his opponent to, so that he would be able to maintain some degree of control over the match. As a result, despite the doctor's stern warning, he still encouraged a long match. In fact, he counted on having one. What he hadn't counted on was his own emotions in the heat of the moment. Midway through the match, when he first began to feel the ache in his arm, he was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming sense of pride that bordered on obstinacy. The twin thoughts of, I do not want to lose this way, I will not lose this way, went through his head like a mantra. As the captain of one of the finest teams in Tokyo, he had an image to live up to for the sake of his team members. He had to show them what it meant to be a true leader and athlete. He also had to determine how far he could push himself. He didn't want his handicap to become the team's so he had to find out where the breaking point was before it was too late.

"It had to be done," was his reply, after a long while. Meeting Echizen's eyes, he explained, "I can't go into the Nationals with this kind of weakness. For me, the greater risk would've been to have all of you depend on me and then for me to not be able to deliver. I have to overcome this. Playing against Atobe was what I needed to measure just how much I still have to overcome."

For a moment, Ryoma simply returned his gaze wordlessly to allow the other boy's words to sink in. In a way, it did make sense. Had he been in Tezuka's position, he probably would've done the same. Of course his motivation would not have been as noble. He would've been more concerned about his own personal hurdle than anything else, since he also believed in pushing beyond one's limit until it no longer was a factor. Closing his eyes, he sighed and remarked, "I guess that's what it means to be the pillar of Seigaku."

"One day, you will be that too," the young captain stated with the utmost certainty.

"Mmm. Your unshakeable faith in me is much appreciated," was the somewhat sarcastic reply.

"Echizen, there are different types of leaders. You don't have to be exactly like me to be a competent one."

"Thank God for that."

Despite the freshman's mocking attitude, Tezuka was not discouraged. You will be the pillar of Seigaku in the future, Echizen, as soon as you find your own style of tennis. I know I'm right.

The younger boy yawned loudly and muttered, "I'm sleepy."

"Sleep," Tezuka said as he tugged the covers higher up over the both of them. He tried to pull Echizen closer against him, but the other boy resisted, climbing over him instead to lay by his other side, the right side. "I don't want to fall asleep on your arm," Ryoma explained as he pressed against the senior.

Touched by his consideration, Tezuka smiled and then wrapped his arm around the freshman, resting his chin on top of the younger boy's head. It wasn't long before he joined the other boy in slumber, the rhythmic cadence of Echizen's gentle breath against his neck luring him like a lullaby.

O

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They woke up a few hours later and did it again, this time with Echizen on top. When they were done, they realized that they were both starving since they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was already evening. They went downstairs to the kitchen where Tezuka prepared rice along with a few accompanying dishes as entrée. Again, Echizen simply watched from the sidelines; he use to help his mother in the kitchen when he was much younger, but after picking up tennis, he never really had the time to do that anymore. Not to mention, he rather enjoyed just watching the other boy cook. There was a certain grace to his movements that he found almost mesmerizing.

After their meal, they went out in the porch to sit, where they were content to just spend most of the time watching the koi swimming in the pond. They sat very close to each other but not quite touching. They were only outside for a brief period before Tezuka's grandparents came home, bringing back with them some pastries for them to eat. They spent some time chatting with his grandparents and polishing off the small cakes, along with the tea that his grandfather brewed. By the time they went back upstairs, since their grandparents retired to their rooms, they were both feeling rather sluggish from full stomachs. However, that didn't prevent them from trying some new things out, as Echizen put it.

They barely succeeded in keeping their voices down.

By the time they were well and truly done, and spent, neither of them could barely move a muscle. Echizen fell asleep again, this time without even saying a word. Tezuka didn't even know he was sleeping until he heard the soft snores coming from him. The senior glanced at the clock, wondering if he should wake the boy instead since it was already half past nine. Seeing the peaceful expression on Echizen's face, however, changed his mind.

I'll wake him up in 30 minutes, Tezuka thought. He briefly considered setting the alarm, but since he wasn't that sleepy, only exhausted to the bones, he reasoned that it was probably not necessary. He simply turned on his side so that he could watch Echizen as he slept, his eyes glancing back to the clock once in a while to keep track of the time.

O

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Echizen's eyes popped open suddenly. He stared blankly up at the ceiling, wondering what had woken him. A second later, the answer came.

He had to pee. Really bad.

Reluctant to relinquish the warmth of the bed, he tried ignoring the need and going back to sleep instead; unfortunately, the more he tried to put it out of his mind, the more urgent the urge became. His bladder felt like it was about to explode. With an annoyed grunt, he slid clumsily out of bed and stopped momentarily, wincing at the soreness he felt throughout his body (especially his backside), before heading groggily for the bathroom, his sleep-laden eyes barely open a crack. After finishing his business, he headed back to bed like a somnambulist. He grimaced slightly as he rolled back under the covers and automatically huddled close to the bundle of warmth by his side, not quite registering it. He was about to fall asleep when the warm lump spoke.

"What time is it?" a sleepy voice asked.

It took him a beat to realize the voice belonged to Tezuka, who was facing the wall, and another beat to re-orient himself and remember that he had fallen asleep after sex. A corner of Ryoma's lips tilted up in a contented smirk at the memory. After very, very good sex. Now he knew why he felt so utterly worn out. It wasn't a bad feeling though; it just made him want to lie there forever and not move. Still, he was curious how long they've been napping so he turned on his side to look at the clock and read off the digital numbers in reply, "1:13". He turned onto his back again and closed his eyes. They flew open in the next second when he realized what he had just said.

Not certain if he heard right, Tezuka turned over partially and asked, "What time did you say?"

"Shit!" Echizen jumped out of bed and started searching frantically for his clothes. Fully alert by now, Tezuka also got out of bed to help him look while seeking his own clothes simultaneously.

"I should have set my alarm," the senior reprimanded himself unhappily. He didn't even know when he had fallen asleep, though it was pretty amazing that they had slept for so many hours without even knowing it. "I'll take you home on my bike," he said as he hastily buttoned up his shirt. "Your parents must be worried sick. You didn't even get to call them tonight."

"I'm a mess," Ryoma complained tonelessly. He stopped, considered whether he should borrow Tezuka's shower. He was already late, would another five or ten minutes really make a difference?

"Maybe you should call home?" Tezuka suggested.

Echizen shook his head, having come to a decision. "Won't make a difference. The old man's probably up waiting for me anyway."

"Are you going to get in trouble?"

Seeing the look of worry on the young captain's face, Echizen shrugged nonchalantly as he smiled. "Who knows. I've never gotten in trouble before; it'll be interesting to see what happens."

Tezuka shook his head. "I feel horrible."

"Why? We both fell asleep, it happens. Don't worry. I'm not. The old man will probably just chew me out a little. I have even less to worry about when it comes to my mom."

Though not at all reassured, Tezuka decided they had little choice now but to face the music. When Echizen tried to wipe himself off with a tissue, Tezuka stopped him and then rushed out of the room to return a few seconds later with a wet towel which he handed to the freshman. Echizen cleaned himself quickly and then handed the towel back to Tezuka, who did the same before tossing it carelessly on the bed. When their eyes met, they took a second to assess each other, before chuckling a little at their respective state of disarray. "What're you going to tell your parents?" Tezuka asked as he reached out to run his hand through Echizen's hair to make it look more presentable.

Shrugging again, Echizen started shouldering his bags but Tezuka stopped him in a silent offer to help carry them. "I'll just tell them I came over here after the Hyotei match and fell asleep. I know how to handle my dad. My mom's never even raised her voice at me my whole life. I just feel a little bad that she's probably worried about me. Anyway, let's go. I'll deal with it when I get home."

With the utmost care, they made their way downstairs and out of the house stealthily, not wanting to wake up Tezuka's grandparents. Tezuka took his bike out from the small storage shed at the back and walked it outside the front door before getting on it. He hesitated then, an uncertain expression on his face. "I've never carried a passenger on my bike before," Tezuka confessed, his voice low, mindful of their quiet surroundings. Due to the late hour, the streets were fairly deserted of pedestrians, though cars still occasionally drove by. "I guess you could sit on the handlebars?"

Echizen pursed his lips wryly, even though he understood that the senior had not intended for his question to be a direct jab at their height difference. "I don't think so. I usually ride on the back of Momo-senpai's bike. Here, I'll show you."

Slinging his sportsbag behind his back, the freshman placed a foot on the hub of the backwheel on one side and boosted himself up using Tezuka's shoulders for support, though he was careful not to put too much weight on the left shoulder. "Sit forward a little," he instructed the older boy as he placed his other foot on the other side. Not use to the added weight, Tezuka almost lost his hold on the bike, causing it to tip precariously to one side and almost dislodging the other boy. "Keep both feet on the ground!" Echizen commanded instantly. "Otherwise we're both gonna fall. Don't start pedaling until you're absolutely ready. Is your arm okay? I'm not putting too much weight on it?"

Tezuka shook his head absently, while still trying to regain his balance on the bike. "And don't start slow, just go for it when you're ready," the freshman added.

It took a few shaky attempts and some good-natured teasing from the younger boy before they finally got on their way. More than once Tezuka wondered if he should just let Echizen borrow his bike to ride home himself, but then his desire to accompany the boy home overruled that option. He wanted to make sure Echizen got home safely.

Despite their initially slow progression, they still managed to arrive in front of Echizen's house in just a little less than 15 minutes. Echizen hopped off easily and chuckled. "Not bad, buchou. We got here in one piece."

"I didn't think we were going to for a minute there," Tezuka replied.

"Maybe I should just sleep over next time."

Tezuka stared at him blankly. "Sleep over?"

"Yeah. Then we wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep or what to tell my parents. Would your grandparents mind?"

"N-no. At least, I don't think so. I've never had anyone sleep over before but…I don't think they'll mind."

"I've never slept over at anyone's house either. It should be interesting." Echizen shot a mischievous grin at the young captain for added measure.

Though slightly embarrassed about the idea, Tezuka nevertheless looked forward to trying it out. "We probably shouldn't do it on a school night though."

Echizen nodded. "Yeah. How does next Friday sound?"

Tezuka answered with a nod of his own. "You better go in."

The other boy sighed. "Yeah."

On an impulse, Tezuka bent down and pressed a quick and rather clumsy kiss against Echizen's forehead. The freshman raised his eyebrows in response, surprised at first by the sudden gesture. A corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk, however, when he saw the chagrinned expression on the other boy's face. It was the first time they had ever done something like that out in the open, even though there was not a soul around to see. "See you tomorrow, Kuni-chan." With that, he turned and after unlocking the front gate, went inside.

A split second later, Nanjiroh's loud booming voice yelled out, "YOU DAMNED KID! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN ALL NIGHT?-! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE—YOUR MOTHER WAS?-!"

Tezuka ducked unconsciously while wincing. He next heard a female voice, presumably Echizen's mother, call out in a much softer voice, "Nanjiroh! Keep your voice down, you're going to wake up the neighbors!"

The elder Echizen's next words were muffled, as he apparently lowered his volume in compliance with his wife's wishes. A while later, Tezuka heard the sound of a door slide close. When he failed to hear anything else after that, he got back on his bike slowly, then paused once more to listen. Only silence greeted him. Realizing that there was little he could do but to wait until tomorrow to ask Echizen what happened, he began pedaling his way.